


Safe & Sound

by soul_writerr



Category: Law & Order: SVU
Genre: Alternate Universe - Guardian Angels, Angst, Death Threats, Developing Relationship, Fluff, Guardian Angels, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Protectiveness, Supernatural - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-11-04
Updated: 2019-04-26
Packaged: 2019-08-17 16:40:47
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 7,350
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16520138
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/soul_writerr/pseuds/soul_writerr
Summary: Rafael receives threats to his life. But there's no need to worry. Because Sonny Carisi is his guardian angel.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Here I go with another AU because I'm a sucker for those. Also, we all need a little guardian angel!Sonny in our lives. 
> 
> Reminder that english is not my first language, but I try my best. Enjoy!

Rafael had worked with a lot of people in his lifetime, but none of them were quite like Detective Dominick Carisi, Jr. He couldn’t put his finger on what it was about him that caught Rafael’s attention, but frankly the detective was just too good to be true.

He was incredibly smart, his detective skills were enviable, he had a special way of dealing with victims, he was quick on his feet, and extremely attractive. Carisi had that perfect “boy next door” vibe about him that made everyone drop to his feet instantly, all it took was a wink or a flash of those damn dimples and he had the world in his hands.

Everything seemed to fall into place around him. Solutions appeared out of thin air, nerves appeased, all wrongs righted themselves. And nobody questioned it. It was like they never noticed Carisi’s presence had some abnormal affect on the way the world worked, or something like that anyway. But there _was_ something there, and Rafael was very curious.

Or maybe it was just because Rafael was attracted to him.

Carisi was very charming and could disarm Rafael easily. The only people who could do that were his mother and his grandmother, so to say he was intrigued was an understatement.

But now, in lieu of current developments, Rafael found himself seeking the detective not because of his growing infatuation, but because he trusted him, and being around Carisi was the closest he felt to being safe. So what if he was more eager than he should when the detective knocked on his door or when Rafael had to go down to the 16th? He was scared for his life.

Or something.

“Morning, counselor,” Carisi greeted as he walked through Rafael’s open door. “The Lieu said you wanted to talk to me.”

“Yeah, I want to tell you something,” Rafael leaned back into his chair, pinching the bridge of his nose. “Close the door, please.”

Carisi did, frowning. He was too good at reading people, Rafael should have known better. “Is everything okay?”

“Carisi, I would appreciate it if what I’m about to say didn’t leave this room.”

“Of course, Barba,” Carisi nodded curtly, a worried expression on his face. He sat on the edge of the chair across from Rafael, elbows on his knees, leaning forward. Somehow, Rafael still wished he came closer. He wished the desk wasn’t between them.

“I’ve been getting death threats for the past two weeks,” he said. Carisi blinked rapidly, surprised. “A week ago, someone came to me on the court steps, told me they would push me down, crack my skull open right there.”

Carisi stood up then. He circled the desk and leaned against the edge, right next to Rafael. He sighed in relief.

“And yesterday,” Rafael continued with a bit more confidence. “I came into my office, and another man was sitting on my couch. He had a gun. He asked me if I knew who sent him. Of course I don’t. So he laughed, pointed the gun at me. He said ‘it would be so easy to just end you right now’, then left.”

Rafael expected some sort of outburst. He thought Carisi would be mad at him for not telling him sooner, for putting himself at risk. But instead, Carisi leaned even closer to him and reached for his shoulder, giving it a reassuring squeeze.

“Rafael,” he called softly. Rafael gulped. “I promise you. I won’t let anybody hurt you. Do you trust me?”

The intensity of Carisi’s gaze almost had him melting off the chair, but he nodded anyway. “I do. That’s why I told you.”

“Good,” he squeezed Rafael’s shoulder again with a small smile. “I think we should talk to Olivia, though. You need a protective detail on you. If they’ve been in your office, they could show up at your apartment. Let me talk to her. We’ll sort something out.”

Rafael blinked. Why did he suddenly feel so calm about the whole thing? He almost threw up his breakfast after having a gun pointed at him the morning before. He was about to jump off his window from nerves before Carisi arrived. But now, the conversation seemed casual. His hands had stopped shaking and his mind seemed clear again.

He smiled. There _really_ was something about Detective Carisi. “Okay,” he agreed. “Thank you, Detective. I’m just -,” Rafael sighed, shaking his head.

“I get it,” he nodded and, somehow, came even closer to Rafael. “But you’re not on your own, Rafael. I’ll make sure you’re safe. At all times.”

The certainty in Carisi’s voice did not waver. There was determination in his eyes, the kind Rafael normally saw when he was working on a case. Well, perhaps he was working on a case now.

“I’m gonna call Liv,” Carisi said, but he didn’t move. “Do you have anywhere to be this morning?”

“Not until 11am,” he pulled up his schedule quickly on his phone. “I have a meeting with the DA, then lunch break, then three more meetings.”

“Okay. I’m going to call Olivia and ask her to meet us here,” he stood up. Rafael almost cursed loudly. “You’ll be okay, Counselor.”

Rafael took a deep breath and pulled out files from his briefcase as he watched Carisi cross the room to sit on his couch. The couch were the man with a gun had been. He shook his head. He was safe. Carisi was here.

To say Olivia was pissed at Rafael was putting it lightly. She had the reaction he expect from Carisi first. But in the end, she sighed, ran her hand through her hair, and sat down so they could work everything out.

So that’s how Rafael got a detail outside his office and outside his apartment at all times. Carisi was the head of his security, but Olivia made it clear that he was an SVU detective first and foremost. He was still going to be working their cases. Rafael was pleased to see that Carisi looked as disappointed as he felt.

But that night, Carisi was the one to walk through his apartment, checking every lock, every window, every hiding space, with a hand on his holster and an eye on Rafael.

“There’s going to be an officer downstairs in an unmarked car,” he explained as he tried forcing the window in Rafael’s room open. “And another one in your hallway.”

Rafael nodded. He wasn’t even that worried anymore. Carisi made everything sound so simple.

“But Barba,” Sonny turned to him, a serious look on his face. “If there’s any problem, call me. And I mean _anything._ If you’re unhappy with the detail, if you notice anything, if you remember a potential suspect, don’t hesitate.”

“I’m sure it’ll be fine,” he smiled. “Thank you, Carisi.”

The Detective patted his shoulder as he left the room on his way out. Rafael felt safe.

“Good night, counselor,” Sonny said, opening the front door. “And remember, call me if you need anything.”

“Don’t worry, I will.”

“Lock the door behind me, okay?,” Carisi smiled, gave him a little wave, and closed the door.

Rafael sighed. He wished Sonny could stay with him. But he wasn’t a beat cop. He was a detective with a job to do. And babysitting Rafael wasn’t on the list.

* * *

 

Rafael had had some trouble sleeping after the threats started. He’d stay up late, tossing and turning, or he’d wake up in the middle of the night after having a nightmare. He hardly ever managed to fall back asleep then.

But that night, sleep came easy to him. He would have made it through the whole night if something hadn’t awaken him.

In bed, Rafael froze, trying to identify what had stirred him awake.

He felt a light breeze brushing his face and naked torso. His heart started beating faster as he realized his bedroom window was open. He clearly remembered it being locked. Carisi had checked it.

Rafael tried to keep his breathing under control. Slowly, with his heart about to come out through his mouth, he opened his eyes. And screamed.

He screamed because there was a figure of a man sitting on his windowsill. But not only that. He saw giant, white, soft _wings_ coming out of said man’s back.

And everything after that happened in a flash. The man jumped up with a gasp, startled. He looked at Rafael with wide, scared eyes as his _wings_ flexed behind him. And Rafael recognized those eyes before he processed anything else.

“Carisi?,” he yelled as the Detective lost his balance and fell on his ass back into the room.

He heard banging on his door then. The officer on his hallway was calling his name, desperately asking what happened.

“Mr. Barba, I’ll knock the door down,” the cop said.

“Don’t!,” Rafael yelled back. “I’m fine! It was just a nightmare!”

“Are you sure, sir? I should search the premises.”

“I’m fine, officer.”

Carisi groaned from the floor, wincing as he tried to stand up.

“What the fuck?,” Rafael heard himself say. His heart was still thumping in his chest, his jaw dropped, his eyes wide. “What the fuck is happening?”

“Barba, shhhh,” Carisi said as he turned to him, kneeling by the foot of his bed. “It’s me. You’re fine.”

“What the fuck do you mean?,” Rafael pulled away from the Detective. “What the fuck is that?,” he asked pointing at the wings.

“Oh,” Carisi looked over his shoulder and suddenly the wings were gone. “Barba, I’m so sorry, I didn’t mean to scare you. You were sleeping so soundly, I didn’t think you would hear me.”

Rafael blinked. “What the _fuck_?”

Carisi had the nerve to laugh. “I thought you were a master at words, Counselor.”

“I don’t know what about this situation makes you think it’s appropriate to make jokes, _D_ _etective_ ,” Rafael threw his blankets away from himself and stood up, looking for a shirt. “You better start explaining yourself.”  

“Well,” Carisi stood up, stretching his arms above his head. “First of all, please forgive me for scaring you. I know you’re stressed enough as it is -”

“Carisi,” Rafael turned to him with a murderous look. “Start by explaining why the fuck you have _wings_.”

“Right,” he nodded sheepishly. “Of course. Well, I’m a guardian angel. That would be why.”

Rafael blinked again, staring at Carisi with his mouth agape. “You’re _what_?”

Carisi chuckled and sat at the end of Rafael’s bed, looking way too amused. “I’m a guardian angel. _Your_ guardian angel, actually. I was sent to protect you.”

“Is this a joke?," he asked in a sharp tone, looking hard at the detective. Carisi shook his head with a soft smile. “God, I’m gonna need coffee,” Rafael rolled his eyes and marched into the kitchen.

What the hell did he mean by _guardian angel_? This wasn’t a fairytale. Things like that didn’t exist. They just didn't. Right?

But then again, that did explain a lot of things about Carisi. He did fit the general idea of what an angel could be. Rafael shook his head at that thought. He was going insane.

He looked up to see Carisi watching him from his bedroom’s doorway. “Do you want some?,” Rafael asked as he turned his coffee maker on and grabbed a cup.

“No, I’m good,” Carisi said, walking into the room with tentative steps. “Barba, I’m really sorry.”

“So you’ve said, Carisi,” he replied sharply. “Do you want to explain to me what you were doing sitting on my windowsill like a pervert?”

Carisi looked taken aback. “I was protecting you.”

“Protecting me?,” he snorted. “By almost giving me a heart attack?”

“I could keep apologizing, but,” Carisi shrugged. “When you told me about the guy in your office, it worried me. Because my job is to keep you safe, and I failed there. I don’t know if I would have made it in time. So I wanted to be close to you.”

“I feel like I’m losing my mind,” he muttered. “What do you mean when you say you’re _my_ guardian angel? We met two years ago. Was I on my own all this time?”

“Well, no,” Carisi shook his head and walked further into the room, pulling up a stool and sitting by the kitchen island. “I was assigned to you two years ago. You had someone else before me."

“Who?,” he narrowed his eyes, wrecking his brain to check if anyone else stood out, but he couldn't quite remember anyone who had the effect Carisi had on him.

“I don’t know.”

The coffee maker beeped then, and Rafael pinched the bridge of his nose before serving himself a big cup. He took a few long sips before setting the cup down. The taste and warmth were comforting and he felt calm again. He looked at Carisi with a raised eyebrow.

“Do you have any superpowers?,” he asked.

Carisi snorted and shook his head. “I’m not a superhero, Barba. I’m a guardian angel.”

“Yeah, like that makes any of this make any more sense.”

“Alright, alright,” Carisi threw his hand up in surrender. “We don’t call them superpowers. They’re more like gifts.”

Rafael rolled his eyes dramatically. “Then by all means, _angel_ , what are your _gifts_?”

“Well, I can fly, obviously,” he started, casually counting on his fingers. “But also I’m good at sensing when things are about to go down, so I’m able to prevent a lot of crises. My presence is calming, so if nerves start going haywire I can sooth people easily. I’m also stronger than a human being, you know. Like I got more stamina, more physical capacity. And, and this is the coolest part if you ask me, my wings are also shields. So let’s say, if someone shot at you, I could protect you.”

Rafael’s mouth was hanging open again, but he closed it slowly and stood a little taller. “Are you immortal?”

“No,” Carisi said, but seemed to reconsider his answer. “I mean, my human form is mortal. If I get shot in the heart I’ll die. Or when I’m 95 and my kidneys fail. But then my spirit moves to another body.”

“How old are you then?,” he tilted his head curiously

“Oh, I’m 35,” he waved a dismissive hand. “My conscience was born when this body was born, so I don’t have like centuries of knowledge accumulated or anything. We reset every time.”

Rafael considered it for a moment, taking another sip of his coffee. “Sounds like reincarnation.”

Carisi seemed to have a sudden realization as he connected the dots. “Yeah, that fits the bill.”

They were silent for a while. Rafael drinking his coffee and Carisi watching him carefully. This was almost too much to process, but Rafael still had a lot of questions. So he kept going.

“How do people not see you flying around with huge wings?”

“Oh, right!,” Carisi perked up on his seat. “That’s another thing. I can actually alter human brain waves so they don’t see me.”

Rafael raised both his eyebrows. “You turn... invisible?”

“Not quite. I can still be heard, and you could still bump into me, after all I have to do my goddamn best to protect you, and sometimes that happens to be in a very busy place, so I disappear. Wanna see?,” he asked excitedly and, before Rafael could reply, vanished.

“Shit,” Rafael jumped back, looking around for the detective.

“I’m still here,” he heard Carisi’s voice right in front of him, but Rafael couldn’t see him.

He blinked and suddenly Carisi was there again, a big grin on his face. “Fuck!,” Rafael jumped again, spilling coffee on his shirt. “Don’t ever do that again.”

Carisi laughed. Rafael tried shooting him a glare, but he was smiling through it.

“Can I see your -,” he hesitated, gesturing towards the space around Carisi. “The wings?”

Carisi looked at him curiously, then rolled his shoulders very discreetly. In a blink of an eye, his wings opened up behind him. Rafael gasped, taking another step back, his hip bumping against the kitchen counter. The wings were wider than they seemed before.

Nevertheless, it was a beautiful view. They were a pure pearlescent white. They looked incredibly soft, but strong and solid. It looked like an actual shield, but covered in a fluffy cushion. Rafael was in awe of its elegant curves, at the way the feathers seemed to sparkle under the harsh light of the kitchen.

Rafael wanted to ask if he could reach out and touch, feel how soft they really were. But when he looked at Carisi, the words died in his throat. His cheeks were flushed pink, his eyes somehow looked almost neon blue, the pupils so small it almost seemed unnatural, but he wore a soft look of open admiration. Carisi was even more stunning like this, his hair falling freely on his forehead, dressed casually in a loose white shirt and grey sweatpants, giant wings framing his lean, tall body.

Rafael wanted to reach out and touch _him_ too.

“It’s amazing to me that you’re not scared of it,” Carisi said in a small voice.

“How could I?,” Rafael smiled softly. “I can’t believe I’m saying this, but you’re an _angel_ , Carisi. And this,” he said, pointing at his wings, "this is just marvelous.”

Carisi blushed even deeper, but his wings stretched out proudly. Rafael laughed.

“Okay Counselor, I’m sure you’ve got a load more questions, and I promise to answer all of them, but another officer is about to knock on your door and I’m not supposed to be here, so unless you want to explain that, I’m gonna go.”

“What, you can predict the future too?,” Rafael asked as he watched Carisi sprint to his bedroom. “Why don’t you just… turn invisible?! Carisi!”

But he was gone. And five seconds later, there was a loud banging on his door.

* * *

Throughout the morning, Rafael kept a notepad by his side, jotting down questions he meant to ask Carisi. The detective-slash-guardian angel was supposed to meet him at his office after lunch for a recap on the security detail.

The more Rafael thought about it, the more fascinated he became. There was something oddly refreshing about the idea of _someone_ thinking he deserved to be protected at such lengths. But it also made Carisi that much more appealing.

Earlier that day, when they were standing in the kitchen, Carisi’s wings around him, he had never looked more gorgeous. It made Rafael’s heart skip a beat at the memory. And the fact that the Detective had been on guard at his window as he slept slowly turned from a little creepy to extremely comforting.

So Rafael found himself smiling more times than he cared to admit. Because he was safe. Carisi would always make sure of that. That was, quite literally, his mission on Earth. And damnit if that didn’t make Rafael feel special.

Rafael was just back from his lunch when Carmen announced Carisi’s arrival. He came into the room with a big smile and sat on the chair across from Rafael.

“I kind of expected you to come through the window,” Rafael said, amused.

Carisi laughed. “Carmen is right outside, I couldn’t materialize into your office without going through her. I have to be discreet.”

“She’s paid to keep discretion.”

“Considering what I am, I’d said she isn’t paid enough to be discreet about _that_ ,” Carisi gave him a long look.

“So no ones at SVU knows?,” Rafael tilted his head. He imagined at least Olivia would know.

“Nope,” Carisi shook his head.

Rafael considered him for a moment, leaning forward. Out of the list of questions he made, there was one underlined. It was the one he considered the most important.

“Carisi, you told me you can control human brain waves so that we don’t see you,” he said, using a tone similar to the one he saved for cross-examinations. “So why did you let _me_ see you?”

Carisi looked shocked. His jaw dropped and his eyes widened. But slowly, the shocked look turned into a pleased one, a smile showing off the Detective’s dimples. “Because I wanted you to see me.”

Well, now Rafael was the one caught by surprise. He didn’t expect all that candor and the openiness in Carisi’s expression. “Why?”

“Technically, under dangerous circumstances, I’m allowed to tell the person I’m assigned to protect that I’m… protecting them,” he shrugged casually.

“And what was so dangerous about last night?,” Rafael snorted. “Was I about to fall off the bed?”

Carisi rolled his eyes. “You’re being threatened, Barba. That’s dangerous.”

“Do you have a commanding officer angel or something?,” he asked with narrowed eyes.

“Yes,” Carisi nodded, confused by the question. “She’s more like a manager.”

“And how does she feel about you telling me?”

Carisi gulped. “She doesn’t know you know.”

Rafael raised both eyebrows at him.

“Okay, I just wanted you to know,” he threw his hands up in surrender. “It gets lonely, keeping it all in, and it would be easier for me to protect you if I didn’t have to keep sneaking around.”

Rafael wasn’t entirely convinced, but he nodded along anyway. “Does it hurt? Keeping your wings concealed all the time?”

“Not really,” he subconsciously rolled his shoulders. “It gets uncomfortable after a few hours, but I go into an empty room for a while and stretch them out.”

“You don’t have to keep them hidden when we’re alone,” Rafael said with what he thought was a nonchalant shrug.

Carisi seemed to consider it for a moment, giving Rafael a curious glance. Then, with a small smile, he rolled his shoulders one more time and his wings opened up behind him. Rafael felt his breath catch in his throat again. He still couldn’t believe how beautiful they were.

“You like them, don’t you?,” Carisi asked with a smug smile. “Come on, I know they’re cool.”

“ _Cool_?,” Rafael rolled his eyes. “You do have a way with words, Detective.”

“Whatever,” he waved Rafael off and stood up. “You can touch it if you want.”

Rafael felt his entire face heating up. “What?”

“Come here,” Carisi beckoned him with a hand.

Swallowing hard, Rafael stood up. He stepped around his desk to stand in front of Carisi, suddenly feeling nervous.

“Go ahead,” Carisi encouraged with a grin.

“Don’t get cocky about it,” Rafael joked.

Carisi chuckled, but didn’t say anything. He squared his shoulders and waited for Rafael to do something.

The ADA took a deep breath and raised his hand, slowly reaching out to touch Carisi’s wings. God, that was a weird concept to wrap his head around. But he raised his chin a little higher and touched it.

He almost gasped loudly. The feathers were extremely soft, and it gave his fingertips a tingling sensation that almost made him giggle.

He felt braver then, pressing his whole palm into it, petting it slowly and carefully, not wanting to pull at any of the feathers accidentally. Rafael heard Carisi’s breath hitch and looked at him. His cheeks were flushed again, but his eyes were darker. His jaw was set, his look determined.

Before he even leaned in, Rafael knew Carisi was about to kiss him. And he welcomed it without hesitation.

Rafael wasn’t surprised to find the kiss was perfect. Carisi’s lips were soft, and they moved in synch. Rafael felt Carisi’s arms around him, pulling him closer, and a moment later, his wings hugged Rafael as well. He shivered despite himself, his body tingling.

Carisi pulled back then, smiling. “You have a thing for my wings.”

Rafael laughed. “I’ll confess to that if you tell me the real reason why you told me you’re an angel.”

Carisi looked at him sheepishly, but hugged him tighter anyway. “I wanted to impress you,” he said, sneaking a hand between them to smooth down Rafael’s tie. “I wanted you to _see me_ as I am and not another Detective you work with. I wanted us to be closer friends, so I thought sharing such a big secret would be a step in the right direction. And I wanted you to know, for sure, that you would be safe. Safer than you’d be with just a protective detail on your door.”

Rafael blinked. And kissed him again. Hungrier, deeper. Once they parted again, he smirked. “Well, consider me impressed,” he said, breathless. “And I’m glad I got the most attractive guardian available to protect me.”

“How many guardian angels have you met?,” Carisi teased.

“I wouldn’t know. But I’m glad it’s you,” Rafael pecked him on the lips. “Now, I have a list of questions I’d like to ask.”

“Of course, Counselor,” he smiled and looked at Rafael’s lips. “But can I answer them in five minutes?”

Rafael smiled. “Make it fifteen,” he said, and kissed Carisi again, no worries in his mind.

He was safe.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Once Rafael's security detail is removed, someone comes after him again. Luckily, his guardian angel is there.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's been months since I first posted this story, but ever since then I've wanted to add more to it. It took me a while to figure out what exactly I wanted to explore in this verse, but here we are! 
> 
> I hope you enjoy this <3

Swirling around the last finger of Scotch in his glass, Rafael watched as Sonny went around his apartment in the same nightly routine of checking every window and every lock. However, this time, there were two uniformed officers following him, clearing every room. 

He watched from the kitchen as each officer shook Sonny’s hand, then turned to bid Rafael goodnight before leaving for good. 

Sonny went to the bigger window in the living room and watched as the two officers got into the car of a third one, and drove away. 

“They’re gone,” Sonny said, still looking out the window. “I’m sorry, Rafael. I tried to talk to the Chief of Police, even the Lieu backed me up, but you know how they get about the use of resources.” 

Rafael hummed, and threw back his drink. “I’m just one little ADA whose life has been threatened, I’m sure my safety is not on their list of priorities.”

“It is on mine,” Sonny turned to him, leaning against the windowsill. “You know that.”

“You also know that this is what they’ve been waiting for,” he said through gritted teeth, refilling his glass with a double dose. He hoped Sonny was far enough away to not notice that his hands were shaking. “You think it’s just a coincidence the threats stopped as soon as SVU put a security detail on me?”  

Sonny sighed. “No.” 

“So you know they didn’t simply move on from this. They’ve been waiting,” Rafael’s voice caught, and he took a long sip of Scotch to try and wash down the lump in his throat. 

So much had changed since the last threat. He’d been a little shaken then, suddenly very much aware of his own mortality, cruelly reminded of the very small number of people who’d miss him if something happened. But now, he was past shaken. He was terrified. 

Because he had something to live for. 

And that something was standing in his living room, swearing to protect him of the person that could take it all away from him.

_ I could just end you right now _ , the guy had said. And he could have killed Rafael, yes, but now, what would truly  _ end him _ would be losing Sonny. 

“Rafael, I’ll still be here,” Sonny said, pushing away from the window and taking tentative steps towards him. “And with these,” he pointed behind himself just as his wings spread open. “I’m better than any uni you could ever had.” 

Sonny was better than anyone Rafael had ever  _ met _ , and he felt an agonizing urge to protect him, to keep Sonny away from harm’s way, and to let Rafael himself take what was coming.

“You should leave, too,” he said, voice just above a whisper. 

Sonny chuckled humorlessly, stepping closer. “I’m not going anywhere. I’ve got nowhere else to be.” 

Rafael shook his head, and turned to Sonny, crossing his arms over his chest. “What happens if you can’t protect me, Sonny? What would happen to you if someone walked in here in the middle of the night and shot me in my sleep?”

He could see Sonny’s jaw working as he grinded his teeth, his hands on his hips and lips set in a hard line. “I’d lose my wings,” he said in a clipped tone.

Rafael blinked rapidly, taking a step back as if he’d been slapped. He uncrossed his arms and ran a hand over his face. “What do you mean?”

“If the person an angel is assigned to protect dies of anything other than natural causes or a disease, we lose our wings,” he swallowed quickly. “It’s the price we pay for failing.”

“Jesus Christ,” he turned back to his drink, taking three big gulps at once. “Sonny, please leave.” 

“I’m not leaving, Rafael,” Sonny challenged, crossing his arms. “I’m sorry I couldn’t keep the protective detail, I tried, but why do you think I can’t handle it on my own?”

“I don’t want you to handle it, Sonny,” Rafael said, voice raising slightly. “I don’t want you to get hurt trying to save me, and I don’t want you to lose your fucking  _ wings _ if something happens to me.” 

Sonny let out a slightly manic laugh. “That doesn’t matter. You can kick me out if you want, but I’m gonna be right outside your window, and that’s not going to change the overall outcome of this situation.”

“Why are you doing this?,” he asked, his shoulders sagging. 

“Look at me,” Sonny closed the distance between them and took Rafael’s forearms in his hands, turning the ADA towards him. “I  _ exist  _ to protect you, Rafael. No matter how much you try to resist it, resist  _ me _ , I’m staying.”

Rafael let out a shaky breath. He wasn’t used to this. To someone fighting him for his own good, someone who thought he deserved protection. 

It had been so easy, this past month with Sonny. Ever since their first kiss, their relationship had been blossoming. They went out on dates, shared many, many kisses, they’d had fantastic sex, and spent most nights together thanks to Rafael’s protective detail and, well, Sonny being his guardian angel. 

Rafael had been slowly but surely opening up to him, and he knew he was developing feelings for the other man. There might not be a label to what they were doing yet, but Rafael could definitely see himself falling for Sonny. 

“Sonny,” he whispered, looking at the beautiful blue eyes that had become such a source of comfort for him. “I’m scared.”

Sonny immediately pulled him into his arms, hugging him tightly and pressing quick kisses to his temple. Rafael wasted no time and fit his face perfectly into Sonny’s neck. 

“I’m here, Raf,” Sonny whispered against his hair. “I’m not gonna let anything happen to you. I promise.” 

* * *

That first night, nothing happened. Neither did the next, or the next. It’d been almost a week since the security detail had been removed from Rafael’s door when Sonny’s eyes snapped open in the darkness, his sensitive ears picking up the noise coming from outside. 

He held his breath, his entire body tensing up as he tried to make sense of the noises. He could distinguish the front door’s lock moving and clicking open, then the doorknob turning ever so slowly. Sonny’s heart immediately went on overdrive. 

Looking behind himself, he checked that Rafael was still sleeping, blissfully unaware of someone breaking into his apartment. 

Sonny sat up as silently as he could, and winced when the bed creaked beneath him. He reached for his gun on the bedside table and stood up, slowly making his way out of the bedroom and into the hallway. 

He could still hear movement, slow steps and some shuffling. There was a shadow of a person falling across the couch in the living room, but before he stepped out completely, a low voice said, “Come out of the hallway, slowly. I have a gun, and I will shoot you.” 

The Detective held his breath, hoping it was a bluff, but suddenly the shadow drew a gun up. Swallowing thickly, Sonny stepped out of the hallway with his hands up.

“Ah, I thought you were Barba,” the man, short, but overly muscular, tsked. “Drop your gun.”

“Barba isn’t here,” Sonny lied. “I’m a police officer, I’ve been keeping an eye on the place, they moved him somewhere else.”

The man shook his head disdainfully. “You’re lying. I followed Barba here tonight.”

Good thing Sonny had come up through the window, then. 

“Now put your gun down, and I’ll kill you, then I’m gonna go and kill him,” he said coldly, gesticulating towards the bedroom. 

“Who sent you?,” Sonny tried to keep the conversation going.

“Drop the gun!,” he yelled, and Sonny winced. That had definitely woken Rafael up. 

Slowly, he set the gun down on the couch and took a step away from it. “I’m sure someone else sent you to do the dirty work. How much are they paying you?”

“Nobody’s paying me. I’m just on a mission.” 

“A mission? To kill a Manhattan ADA?,” Sonny raised an eyebrow, and, much to his horror, heard Rafael coming down the hall behind him. “I don’t think that’s a good idea.”

“I don’t give a fuck what you think,  _ cop _ ,” he spat. “You shouldn’t even be here. You shouldn’t be protecting  _ him.  _ He’d ruin your life too if he didn’t need you covering his ass.” 

Just then, he heard Rafael gasp, and Sonny could swear his heart stopped. “Rafael, go back into the bedroom and close the door,” he said quickly.

“Sonny, you-” 

In the millisecond that it took Rafael to say ‘you’, the guy turned the aim of his gun from Sonny to Rafael. Everything else after that happened in a quick succession of activity which later Sonny wouldn’t be sure of how it went, because, in the moment, his sole focus was to get rid of the threat and protect, protect,  _ protect.  _

His wings flared out from his shoulder blades and shielded Rafael, stopping the bullet in its trajectory. It fell with a little  _ ping  _ on the floor and rolled away as the guy looked at him with horrified eyes, his mouth agape as he took in the white wings around Sonny. 

As soon as he processed it, he gasped a loud “what the fuck are you?”, and turned the gun back to Sonny, shooting at him three times. By the time the second bullet hit the shield of his other wing around him - one still stretched to hide Rafael - Sonny was already invisible to him. 

The guy gaped again, looking around nervously as the third bullet fell to the ground lamely. He turned to Rafael with fury in his eyes, but before he could say or do anything, Sonny was on him, snatching the gun away from his hand and knocking him out with a well-aimed punch. 

He fell to the floor, unconscious, and Sonny ran past Rafael to grab his handcuffs in the bedroom, coming back to cuff the anonymous killer, snapping it closed tight around the guy’s wrists. 

When time finally seemed to settle again, Sonny realized he was panting, his heart was beating so fast he could hear it in his ears, and he turned to look at a panicked Rafael, standing frozen in the hallway.

“Raf, are you okay?,” Sonny asked in a low voice, carefully reaching out to him, afraid he might scare Rafael. “It’s all good now, we got him. See?,” he turned his body so Rafael had a clear view of the unconscious man on the floor.

Rafael’s wide eyes went from the man to Sonny quickly. “He shot you.” 

“No, no,” he shook his head, approaching the other man more confidently and taking his hands. “I mean, he tried, but I’m fine. I barely felt those bullets. It was like just a little tweak.” 

The ADA ran a hand over Sonny’s torso as if looking for an injury. “Are you sure?” 

“I’m okay, Raf,” Sonny smiled softly. “What about you?”

Instead of replying, Rafael threw himself into Sonny’s arms and hugged him tightly, his face pressed into Sonny’s chest as he let out ragged breaths. Sonny’s hand made soothing movements up and down Rafael’s back.

“It’s over,” he whispered into Rafael’s ear. “It’s over, Raf. You’re gonna be fine. You’re gonna be just fine. We’re okay.”

Rafael hugged him tighter.

* * *

Rafael had no idea what Sonny had told Olivia about the incident in his apartment, but figuring it out was someone else’s problem now. He knew he’d have to face the man who broke into his house to kill him in court, but for now he didn’t have to worry about his own case.

Sonny still hadn’t left his apartment. He still came flying through the window every night, and there were two new locks on his door. Sometimes he’d wake up to find Sonny on guard on the couch, staring straight into the entryway. Other times, he’d find Sonny by his windowsill, his wings stretched out behind him, watching people come and go on the street.

“Sonny,” Rafael called out, his voice hoarse, on the third night in a row he found Sonny standing guard by his window. “Sonny, come back to bed.” 

He turned to look at Rafael over his shoulder - and his wing - with a little smile. “Sorry I woke you, Raf. I couldn’t sleep.”

“Again?,” Rafael asked around a yawn, rubbing sleep from his eyes. 

Sonny shrugged, and went back to staring out the window. 

It had been over two weeks of this, and Rafael was worried. “Sonny, when was the last time you slept?”

“This morning,” he said, but Rafael was pretty sure that was a lie. “Fell asleep at around 3am.” 

“That’s not healthy for you,” Rafael sighed. He knew he wasn’t one to talk about sleeping habits, but it was beyond anything he’d ever experienced. “Why don’t you come back to bad?”

“I can’t,” Sonny said curtly. “I have to stay awake.”

“Why?”

“Because they could send someone else. And I have to be ready,” he sounded firm, but honestly exhausted.

Rafael shook his head. “Sonny, you were ready last time, despite being asleep.” 

“He was already inside the apartment, Rafael,” Sonny turned abruptly and the fast movement of his wings brought a cold breeze into the room. “I should have known the moment he stepped on the sidewalk, but I didn’t. I can’t take risks anymore.” 

“It doesn’t matter that he was inside the apartment, you stopped him,” he threw the sheets away from his legs and stood up, walking towards the other man. “You saved me.”

Sonny looked at him silently for about a minute, studying his face with worry in his eyes. He seemed to be in pain, and Rafael wished he could take it all away, or take it for himself. 

“Talk to me,” he breathed. 

“I’m falling in love with you, Rafael,” Sonny whispered, and his face crumbled. “I can’t risk it. Not because I might lose my wings, not because I’m a cop, but because I can’t risk losing you. It’d kill me if something happened to you.”

Rafael felt like his heart was about to jump out through his mouth, and he froze in place with a shocked expression.

_ I’m falling in love with you, Rafael _ , he’d said. The words Rafael craved for, but was scared he’d never hear them. Especially not from Sonny. 

He suspected he’d started falling in love with Sonny the night he’d woken up to find him sitting on his windowsill for the first time, watching over him like the stunning guardian angel he was. He’d confirmed, then, how precious and unique Sonny was, and how much he wanted to keep him close. 

The months they’d been together had been so good that it didn’t even seem real sometimes. They went out on dates every week, and as Rafael had gotten to know all his little quirks and habits, their lives started clicking and harmonizing frighteningly fast. And he was happy. 

Now, to finally hear those words, it was everything he wanted, and yet Sonny looked like he was being tortured. His head hanging low, his shoulders tense, his breath short, and his eyes red from the lack of sleep. 

_ I’m falling in love with you _ , Sonny told him, as if the world was crumbling under his feet. 

“I’m leaving,” Rafael blurted out, shaking himself out of his trance. “I’m going somewhere else, somewhere they don’t know, where it’ll take them longer to find me and give the police time to investigate and find the brain behind this.”

Sonny blinked rapidly. “What? What about your job?”

“The DA owes me at least two months vacation. Then I can take a leave of absence and come back when all this is over. It’ll be like placing myself on witness protection.” 

“But why?,” he frowned. “You love your job.”

“I do, I love my job, but -,” Rafael stepped closer to Sonny and took his hand, pulling him in. “But I’m falling in love with you, too. And I can’t bear seeing you carrying all this weight on your shoulders.”

Sonny shook his head. “Rafael, I’m your guardian angel, it’s my -”

“No,” he interrupted. “No, I don’t want you to be here with me because you’re my guardian angel and it’s your duty to sit by my bedside and protect me. I want you to be here because you’re my boyfriend, and we can sleep in the same bed, and wake up drooling all over each other.  _ That’s _ what I really want.” 

Rafael thought that despite the uncertainty on his face, he could see Sonny relax slightly. He stepped closer and enveloped the both of them with his wings. 

“I’m falling for you, Sonny,” he smiled, reaching out to run a hand over Sonny’s chest, feeling his heartbeat solid under his fingers. “And I can’t risk  _ you  _ because some criminals want to scare me. So I’m leaving this apartment in the morning and I won’t be coming back until this is done.” 

“What about me?,” Sonny whispered, his eyelashes fluttering as he closed his eyes. 

Rafael grinned. “You can visit me whenever you want. Your wings will come in handy.” 

“Are you sure about this? I don’t want you to leave your job behind because of me.” 

“For once, I’m doing something for  _ me _ , Sonny,” he leaned in and rested their foreheads together. “Besides, it’s just for a while. You know SVU would fall apart without me.” 

Sonny chuckled, nudging their noses together. “It really would,” he sighed. “I just want you to be safe, Raf.”

“And I will be. I promise I’ll take all precautions if  _ you  _ can promise  _ me  _ you’ll come spend the nights  _ in bed  _ with me and you won’t get up until I say you can.”

Sonny pulled away to smirk at Rafael with a mischievous glint in his eyes. “Should I bring handcuffs, then? Just to be sure?”

“The answer to that will always be yes,” Rafael winked, leaned in again and kissed him softly on the lips. “Come back to bed with me, Sonny.”

“Okay,” he breathed and let Rafael guide him by the hand. 

As soon as his head hit the pillow, Sonny was out like a light and Rafael let out a low, short sigh. Then, he got up and went to check all the locks on his door, and checked the windows, closing the one Sonny had set up guard on. 

Rafael climbed back into bed, snuggling close to Sonny as he did, and rested his head on the man’s chest. 

He fell asleep to the sound of Sonny’s heartbeat and, as soon as exhaustion took him, both of Sonny’s arms closed around him protectively, one of his wings covering Rafael like a shielded blanket. 

True to his words, Rafael left his apartment that morning and didn’t return for two months. But when he did, he had a new live-in boyfriend and no longer needed a guardian angel by his window. 

The wings never ceased being fascinating, though. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm traveling overseas tonight and I'm not sure when I'm gonna be able to sit down and write again. BUT! You can go on my profile, there are other 35 stories ready for yall to read! And follow me on twitter @pastelpinktv because I'll still be screaming about barisi over there
> 
> Don't forget to leave some kudos and comments on this one, and I hope to see you again soon! MWAH!

**Author's Note:**

> In my mind, Rafael is a man who knows how appreciate pretty things. And is there anyone prettier than Sonny? Yes. Sonny with wings. 
> 
> Let me know what you think about this one. Kudos and comments are very much appreciated.


End file.
